Wet filter, water-cooler, humidifying apparatus, and the like



A. B. CLEWORTH.

WET FILTER, WATER COOLER, HUMIDIFYING APPARATUS, AND THE LIKE.

' APPLICATldN FILED JAN. 4, 1918- 1,345,131. A A Patente 1Jung29,1920.

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. fi d I|T l Ml {I}! l l 4 1 I ll ll IF I I] I I ll A. B. CLEWORTH.- w WET FILTER, WATER COOLER, HUMIDIFYING APPARATUS, AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 4. I918.

1,345,131, Patented June 29,1920.

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UNITED STATES- PATENT tOFFlCE.

.. ALFRED BUTTERWORTH CLEWORTH, OF HOL LINWOOD, ENGLAND.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J une 29, 1920.

Application filed January 4,1918. Serial No. 210,322.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED BUTTERWORTH CLEWORTH, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing in Hollinwood, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wet Filters, Water-Coolers, Humidifying Apparatus, and the like, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to apparatus for heating, cooling, moistening, cleansing or otherwise treating air or gas with liquid or for cooling water, oil, or other liquid with air, of the type comprising a closed chamber containing the liquid and a horizontal shaft carrying one or more wheel-like bodies or members which consist each of a single disk or a series ofdisks spaced apart and connected together and'are adapted to rotate about the axis of the shaft each with its lower portion immersed in the liquid contained in or passing through the chamber, the said members being provided with a large number of openings or passages through which a current of air or gas entering the chamber at one end is forced or drawn toward an outlet in the chamber, the openings breaking up the body of the air or gas into a number of streams or jets.

My invention consists in an improved construction of disks for use in apparatus of the above kind, the object being to produce a simple and a highly effective plant, which can be readily and cheaply constructed.

Hitherto in apparatus of the character re ferred to, the disks, constituting the wheellike bodies or members have been of an openwork nature, being formed of wooden or metal perforated plates or grids, of wire gauze or of textile fabric, but, according to this invention, I make the disks of expanded metal sheets in which the strips of metal between the openings therein are inclined to the faces of the sheets. only is a saving effected in the amount of metal required toprovide a strong and reliable disk' and the proportion of the passageway area to the total face area of a disk increased, but the oblique passageways of expanded metal offer less resistance to the entry and passage through them of the streams of air-or gas. Moreover, the surfaces of the walls or sides of the passages are constituted by portions of the two faces or sides of a disk, so that air or gas passing through the passage is scrubbed against both faces of the disk, whereas in other forms of By so doing, not

openwork material only one side of a disk tected in any suitable known manner fronr the action of gases, as for instance by a coating of earthenware, enamel, cement, asbestos and like substance.

I have found that the use of expanded metal for a disk enables, satisfactory results to be obtained with only a very small quantity of water or liquid in the lower part of the apparatus, the marginal or peripheral portions only of the disk passing through the liquid. The whole of the disk while rotated is kept thoroughly wet owing to the liquid taken up by the'marginal or edge portions of the disk flowing or dropping toward the center during each revolution, and also owing to the fact that the air carries drops of liquid from one disk to the next disk.

1 preferably support or strengthen the material of the disks by means of'a frame although in some cases this may not be necessary.

When a wheel-like member comprises a vseries or sets of disks, the latter, which may be of any desired number, are disposed one behind the other at suitable distances apart along the shaft by or on which they are r0-- =or segments so that they may readily be.

secured on the shaft without having to be threaded thereon and may be also readlly disassembled for cleansing or renewal. The

disks may be rotated at any desired speed and according to circumstances in each par-.

ticular case.

Apparatus designed particularly for the cooling of water or other liquid or for cooling air or other gas would preferably have the wheel members arranged in groups and the lower portion of the chamber containing the water or other liquid would be divided into compartments in such a way that the liquid is caused to pass through the apparatus.

The groups of wheel-members or disks may be rotated all in the same direction and at any desired speed. Alternatively, individual disks or sets of disks constituting the groups may be arranged to run in clockwise and anti-clockwise directions alternately, thus increasing the amount of contact between the air passing throughthe apparatus with the drops of water formed.

Where the apparatus is used for a wet filter for electric generators or the like, and under all conditions where it is necessary to extract loose drops of-liquid from the air leaving the machine, suitable devices for eliminating drops of liquid from the air passing through the apparatus would 'be provided at the air outlet end of the apparatus. These may be of any known type and may for instance comprise a series of bafiie plates consisting of strips of metal bent at a suitable angle or the like fitted into oneanother across the. machine in such a way that the air is caused to take a tor- .ing shown diagrammatically in elevation at A.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section ofthe appa ratus shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an elevational view: of a portion of a disk composed of a number of sector shape segments of expanded metal.

In Figs. 1 and v2, a denotes the closed chamber in which the wheel-members roa spacing evice, consisting of a metal ring I) welded to the outer peripheral margin of a disk and a spacin between each pair 0 disks, and pins 0 are passed through holes provided in the spacing devices and secured by having their I ends riveted over or by means of nuts. The

block 6 is inserted treating air or inner peripheral edges of the disks may be example by means of the wheel or pulley f.. In some forms of the improved apparatus.

it may be advantageous to arrange for the current of air, gas or liquid passing through the apparatusto be used to rotate the wheelmembers by suitable mechanical means.

Air is forced or drawn by means of'the power actuated fan A into the chamber a through the terminal louver-like or skewed opening 0; and flows through the'openings in the disks 6 toward the outlet a a flow of air around the periphery .of the disksis checked by theannular-like bafile plates or flangesa Adjacent to the outlet. a an eliminating device, if used, would be arranged. In Fig. 1 an eliminating device is shown at it.

In Fig. 1, the liquid 9 extends throughout the lower part of chamber a, but if de sired this lower part can be divided into compartments for the purpose stated by ar- This shaft is,

ranging therein transverse baflle plates which would be formed and disposed in a manner to cause the liquid in passing from the inlet 20 to the outlet 9 of the chamber to take any desired course. Two such baiile plates are indicated, by way of example, in broken lines at 0 in Fig. 1.

The disks may be each a complete annulus or may be formed of segmental shape pieces which would be connected together, as for instance by attaching them to arms 71 provided for the purpose and extending radially from the above mentioned collars or hubs d, as indicated in Fig. 3.

The apparatus can be employed as a condenser when operated under a vacuum, or as a cooler to reduce the temperature of liquid under a vacuum.

Having thus described the nature of the said invention and the best means I know of carrying the same into practical effect, I claim 1. In apparatus of the kind referred to for treating air or gas with liquid or for cooling oil or otherliquid with air, the combination of a closed chamber to contain the liquid, a horizontal rotating shaft, a wheellike member formed substantially of expand ed'metal-provided with openings and having the strips of metal between said openings inclined to the face of said member being partly submerged in the liquid and fixed to the shaft, and a fan arranged at one end of the chamber for circulating the air or gas.

liquid, ahorizontal rotating shaft, a wheel- 130 like member comprising a plurality of disks of expanded metal provided with openings, the strips of metal between the openings in each of said disks being inclined to the face of the disk, said disks being spaced apart, connected together and partly submerged in the liquid, said member being operatively connectedwith the shaft, and a fan arranged at one end of the chamber for circulating the airor gas.

3. In apparatus of the kind referred to for treating air or gas with liquid or for cooling oil or other liquid with air, the combination of a horizontal rotating shaft, a plurality of wheel-like members spaced apart, operativelyconnected with the shaft, and partly submerged in the liquid, said' members'each comprising a disk of expanded metal provide with openings and having the strips of metal between said openings inclined to the face of the disk.

4. In apparatus of the .kind referred to for treating air or gas with liquid or for cooling oil or other liquid withair, the combination of a horizontal rotating shaft, a

plurality of Wheel-like members spaced apart and operatively connected with the shaft, said members each comprising a plurality of disks of expanded metal, each of said disks being provided with openings and. having the strips of metal between said openings inclined to the face of the disk, the disks which comprise each wheel-like member being partly spaced apart, connected together and partly submerged in the liquid.

5. In an apparatus of the character described, a chamber having a lower portion adapted to contain liquid, and an upright disk of expanded metal provided with openings and having the strips of metal between said openings inclined to the face of said disk, said disk being rotatably mounted in said chamber with its lower portion in said liquid.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALFRED BUTTERWORTH CLEWORTH. \Vitnesses:

LILY PEPLow,

ALFRED ASHTON. 

